The Bull and Last Reviews Summary

Category: Pub London

Address: 168 Highgate Rd, London, NW5 1QS, United Kingdom

Phone: +442072673641

Rating: 4.4
based on 155 reviews.

Service

Pros:

  • "Friendliest staff possible. Really relaxed and lovely people."
  • "Our host (not waitress) was very knowledgeable about the wine, and had a fabulous sense of humour."
  • "The bar service was quick and friendly."
  • "The staff were kind and welcoming."
  • "Such lovely service! Friendly, polite, helpful and attentive at the right level."
  • "The service was the quickest ever, and the ambience was so lovely and relaxed."
  • "Service was good, welcoming, friendly and caring."

Cons:

  • "There appears to be a culture amongst the staff to be rude and discourteous."
  • "But what sinks this pub is the overly self involved and insincere service."
  • "Unfortunately we had a really bad experience. Booked a table in advance, the drinks took ages to come, service was really poor in general."
  • "Ultimately, the meal - to celebrate my brother's birthday - was badly let down by slow service, and an aggressive and unreasonable manager."
  • "Food took far too long to arrive and the apology of free ice cream did not quite make it up."
  • "Absolutely miserable service, seem to be a grievance to them if you just want to have a drink."
  • "Went for eagely annissipated sunday roast. Very dissapointing. Food wasn't great and service was shocking."

Food Quality

Pros:

  • "The gravy was excellent and they gave us an extra saucepan of the stuff and the Yorkshire pudding was one of the best I’ve ever tasted."
  • "The food was just gorgeous. Tempura mushrooms cooked to perfection and seasoned hake."
  • "The food? We'll be slogging our way on the tube and trains with friends to sample the restaurant again very soon. As good as anything I've ever eaten for fish and Red meat lovers its a dream."
  • "It was the nicest haddock we have ever eaten."
  • "The food was delicious, the service and staff were great and the atmosphere was lovely."
  • "The food is fantastic, especially the ferrero rocher ice cream and the lamb ragu if you can get it."
  • "The food was some of the best food we've had, the fish and chips was incredible and the best sticky toffee pudding ever!"

Cons:

  • "Mediocre steak, no bull. £35 for a sirloin that, I suspect, spent the last 3 hours in NW5 encapsulated in plastic and submerged, sous vide, at 51 degrees."
  • "The food is not as good as they say: I had the fish and chips and found it to be just not right somehow."
  • "Food looks good, but tastes bland."
  • "Most in my party didn't think much of the food."
  • "The food was good, but not outstanding to justify the high price."
  • "Food was decent and served quickly, although a little oily for the buttermilk chicken and fish."
  • "The food on the other hand was not that good. The main course in particular was quite disappointing and so was the dessert."

Atmosphere

Pros:

  • "Cold drinks, and great atmosphere. Local, laidback vibe with gastropub food that wouldn't look out of place in a fine-dining restaurant."
  • "Also, totally laid back atmosphere."
  • "Nice atmosphere and friendly service."
  • "Incredible food and cozy atmosphere. Great decor and service make this place an option for a quiet night in private dining upstairs or in the pub any night of the week."
  • "The location and ambience are cosy and nice."
  • "It both feels cosy and sophisticated."
  • "The ambiance was great!"

Cons:

  • "All of this sitting just next to the road and on a branch table."
  • "The pub that sold its soul! Staff are officious and curt with an attitude of superiority whilst the pub itself is lacking in atmosphere."
  • "And when the food's no good and the prices are 'up there' then it hits that much harder."
  • "Sorry but that is outrageous for sitting on an uncomfortable bench on the pavement."
  • "All the tables are reserved for dinners only. You will be rudely informed of this once you purchase a drink and sit down at one of the many empty tables."
  • "The atmosphere was lovely."
  • "The decor is lovely, the staff friendly and the vibe is very relaxed."

Value

Pros:

  • "Also the management seem to have decided to not decided to double the prices of everything just because they could which will bring me back ASAP."
  • "The value of the per person cost of the set menu was great."
  • "Reasonably priced too for what you get."
  • "Awesome selection of beers, decent prices for the area."
  • "Great service from friendly knowledgeable staff and food arrives quickly."
  • "They also have good selections of wine and I had a Romanian one."
  • "Very good cooking, the staff here were very generous and spot on with their recommendations."

Cons:

  • "Mediocre steak, no bull. £35 for a sirloin that, I suspect, spent the last 3 hours in NW5 encapsulated in plastic and submerged, sous vide, at 51 degrees."
  • "Food is tastey but over priced and the same can be said for the beer."
  • "Consistently good food, however prices have gone up since the last time I went, and truthfully some prices are cheeky in my opinion."
  • "I think unfortunately for the prices being charged the quality of food does not reflect this and would stop me returning again."
  • "I think it's a bit expensive: it was almost £100 for 3 of us..."
  • "Their price point is on the higher end."
  • "That drink cost £9.50."

Location

Pros:

  • "The location is fantastic with the heath right across the road."
  • "Very comfortable and cozy room, in a fantastic location."
  • "High ceilings and wooden floors, a lot of taxidermy, grade 2 listed, old fashioned pub, next to Hampstead Heath. That’s a good start."
  • "The outside patio was perfect on a hot afternoon."
  • "The rooms are wonderfully decorated, full of character and great little touches."
  • "The room was really comfy and plush and the attention to detail was better than a lot of v expensive boutique hotels we’ve visited."
  • "The rooms are very well appointed and we appreciated the special touches."

Cons:

  • "All of this sitting just next to the road and on a branch table."
  • "Sorry but that is outrageous for sitting on an uncomfortable bench on the pavement."
  • "All the tables are reserved for dinners only. You will be rudely informed of this once you purchase a drink and sit down at one of the many empty tables."
  • "Its a pub that charges more than it should. Plays to the people who have money in this part of Kentish. You can do much better for less money and have the food of your life and experience a real British pub! Explore! ☺"
  • "Also, to B&L's webmaster, change the setting for the GoogleMyBusiness, its set as a hotel, should be as a restaurant."
  • "The pub that sold its soul! Staff are officious and curt with an attitude of superiority whilst the pub itself is lacking in atmosphere."
  • "The food here totally blew us away. We shared some small plates all of which were incredibly well executed but especially the octopus and n'duja."

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